What hope for the future?

As I’ve previously mentioned, the future holds the key. The planning and development that we implement now will be the deciding factor of our future. The fate of the world rests in the hands of corporate America as well as the Chinese and Indian governments. Our future depends on the methods the Canadian Government chooses to exercise when extracting oil from the earth in northern Alberta. Our future is dependent on our global fishing practices, preventing the complete deforestation of the Amazon Jungle, preventing the waste generated from the billions of products we buy each year from reaching the landfill. The future of our planet is dependent on my generation and the ones immediately after to heal the wound that industrialization has caused to our environment. Practices such as building cities with more affordable high density areas, lessening our reliance on fossil fuels, growing green, thinking green and living green are some of the keys responsibilities the whole world must adapt if there is to be a future. It’s too late for gradual change, we cannot tip toe around such sensitive sustainability/environmental issues anymore. Plans need to be drawn up, decisions need to be made and actions need to be taken. Ultimately it is up to our Governments to generate these changes but that’s not enough. Making economic, social and environmental changes is not a process that will ever be easy for any Federal power. There will always be opposition and conflict when trying to make any change and currently there are still too many global warming naysayers in power. A prime example, environmental platforms are still not at the top of politicians’ to do lists. 

As citizens and contributors to society we have more power than we realize. We control what we choose to buy, where we choose to live and work, how we get around our communities, what we do with our free time and what political parties we support. Maybe we should start taking matters into our own hands. Supporting grassroots movements, making our homes more sustainable, consuming responsibly, powering our communities more efficiently, avoid being wasteful and educating ourselves to continuously improve our actions and ideologies.  A little effort goes a long way, change is possible, sustainability can be achieved and matters such as cleaner air should not be a dream. 

If we don’t make any changes and continue to consume at an alarming rate there will be no future worth living for. I fear however that change won’t actually happen until it’s too late. Until the sky literally starts falling I think a large percentage of the world will just continue ignoring the signs our planet has desperately been trying to show us. Our society is like a Hollywood movie that will take another few decades to finishing filming and at some point in the near future the climactic ending will be upon us. It’s in our hands to make that ending a good one but I’m not so sure this story can end happily anymore. The environmental ignorance I still see every single day fuels that pessimistic mentality. I want to win this battle; we have to win this battle. But it’s a long hard road and I’m starting to loose faith in society slowly with each passing day that nothing gets done. My message to the world…. Prove me wrong. Please.

Here is a link to an honest article talking about the sustainability movement by River Gilman. Although somewhat dated, its intentions still stand. LINK 

How is sustainable development in practice?

Without going straight to Google to endlessly search for examples of sustainable development practices, I instead tried to think of sustainable examples that I was already currently aware of.  However, this was no easy task if you ignore the obvious local examples such as the Dockside Green community here in Victoria or the Colwood solar program. Eco-Industrial park development programs such as the one in Halifax seem to be getting a lot of attention and arguably so. The concept of having a collection of businesses and light industry facilities in one area with power supplied through various green technologies as well as major waste diversion programs and not to mention to natural beauty that is preserved throughout these areas is very interesting. These eco-parks are designed to incorporate a series of closed loop systems that make use of nearly every waste product. They employ large amounts of people and create a work atmosphere that gives people something to be proud of because they are a part of a system that is worth being proud of. During the summer they can spend their lunch breaks outside taking in the social benefits of being on the coast and they are an alternative to having massive industrial slum sections in a city where many people will hold jobs but absolutely no one wants to every spend one second more than they are forced to. There are a lot of these examples in the GTA where I come from and an interesting fact about these industrial slums, after roughly 4:30pm everyday they become ghost towns until 5:00am the next morning.

         It’s easy to be pessimistic and suggest that currently there are only a few examples of sustainable development in practice throughout the world but even after using Google to search for some examples it seems as such is the case. However, there are thousands of examples of communities, industry, nation’s etc. that are currently developing sustainable practices. That seems to be where a lot of the world currently stands, in the development process of designing sustainable alternatives. The concept is not a new idea but its popularity has only recently begun to come into the spotlight. Buildings are being raised to generate a portion of their own electricity with nearly 100% waste diversion programs. Elementary schools are being built completely off the grid with LEED platinum certification. Intensive bicycle programs are being implemented in many major cities across the world. I should mention that such is not the case in Toronto after our new mayor decided the proposed bicycle lane project is a complete waste of cash and scrapped it. With over 6 million people living in the GTA and over 2.5 million living downtown T.O. is it not ridiculous that we don’t have a bike lane?  I like to believe the future holds the key, if we can get our act together, continue to develop programs that promote sustainability, change our current wasteful mentality, reduce our reliance on automobiles and begin to enthusiastically seek alternatives we can achieve our goal. I don’t think it’s impossible; it’s just going to take a lot of work. 

Here is a great link to the California Academy of Sciences. This building holds a world class aquarium, planetarium, a museum, rain-forest, lecture halls, gardens and a green roof terrace. This building is a prime example of what is possible with sustainable development. LINK

I found this video on it too, Cheers.

My Stuff and Other Sources

 We all have way to much stuff myself included yet we continue to buy more! What’s the point and for what cause do we justify owning so much crap? We are all obsessed consumers, a product of our exposure to a lifetime of marketing campaigns which has convinced us that new is better. As was discussed in class, the average usage of a good purchased from a major box store is just a couple of months. Let’s think about that for a second. We are purposely destroying our planet, cashing in every last resource available, filling our landfills with toxic materials and spending our hard earned dollars on something we are only going to hold on to for a couple of months. Not to mention the excessive packaging that goes along with each good. That whole rationale doesn’t really seem to add up in my opinion. Then to add salt to the wound, the products we purchase with the intent of enjoying indefinitely are designed to have an expiry date built into the hardware or good in an effort to make us purchase the new model. Some may argue this tactic is marketing genus at its prime but at what cost, besides the price tag denoted to the item benefiting only the corporation.

Society today is so unpredictable in many different ways. For example, last year the notorious potato chip company Sunchips starting selling its tasty products in a 100% compostable bag. I remember the first time I saw the new bag at the grocers. I was so pleased with the notion that corporate America is finally waking up that I purchased two bags right then and there. To my amazement, within a few weeks of the release of this compostable bag, Americans across their country began to complain and complain about the excess noise that the compostable bag creates. In an effort to adhere to the consumer criticism, the compostable bag was removed from the shelves in multiple states. In all fairness, the bag is a tad noisy BUT honestly, who cares! What is wrong with society these days? Sometimes it appears as if the harder the environmental movement pushes forward, the more crying we hear from the overweight, lazy, corporate Americans. I lose sleep over this kind of ****. The whole world needs to suck it up, make the necessary changes, deal with the “growing pains” and get on with being more environmentally responsible and aware.

Another harsh reality of our consumer oriented society is the distances products travel in order for us to go and purchase them. Just looking around my room it’s ridiculous that most of my possessions came from places I’ve never visited. My computer was put together in Miami with its components coming from San Diego and China, I’ve been to SD but that’s not the point. The chair underneath me and the desk I’m sitting at came from China. My drum kit hails from Japan; the lamp beside me is from Taiwan, the clothes I’m wearing are from Indonesia, China and Canada! At least the beer I’m drinking while writing this was made here in Victoria by my own hands but who knows where the barley, hops and yeast came from. There comes a point where me must undertake the responsibility as the consumer to choose from right and wrong. Although as China’s economy continues to roll forward, it will someday soon surpass the U.S. as the world economic trade leader. A consequence of this reality is that more and more of our products are going to be manufactured overseas and shipped across the ocean. Followed by a 5,000 km drive across the continent to a distribution center and then shipped again to a giant box store before we pick it up from the shelves, drive it home and throw it away in six months because either it broke or because we just don’t “need” it anymore. I’m not sure exactly what we are supposed to do about any of this but at least reading this may influence your purchasing decisions next time you walk into Walmart. Here is a link to a great blog explaining some of the problems associated with outsourcing a majority of our good overseas and then shipping them here. LINK

The Sustainable City

The classic definition of the term sustainable city describes a society which improves the overall quality of life for the individuals who call that urban center their home. To improve the quality of life, a sustainable city must incorporate ecological, economic and social values without lowering the standards of what citizens expect from any of these societal standards. The overall projective of becoming a sustainable city is to improve the quality of life to ensure that future generations can enjoy the urban center to the same standards or better than what is available today.

There are many associated difficulties with turning an unsustainable city around to function in a more progressive manner. Urban sprawl throughout the majority of developed communities has definitely left its mark on our landscapes making the change to becoming sustainable a difficult task. Land consumption continues to remove the valuable wetland, forests, agricultural and grassland areas for commercial and residential development. Being from the east, it is all too common that you see a massive 400 series off ramp being constructed through an area in which magnitudes of species used to call their home. Low density development has generated societies that are made of inefficient and expensive infrastructure. This lifestyle has led to our reliability on automobiles in order to maintain our functioning urban lives as the distances between zones and infrastructure is no longer “walkable.” 

As was discussed in class, the sustainable city must be one that was planned not one that was developed. The planning aspect to a city is fundamentally the most important process. Neighbourhoods must be designed to be walkable containing all the everyday necessities; grocers, entertainment, heath/wellness, social and recreation. These basic concepts were lost in the suburbia movement and were ignored when developers starting adding housing and strip malls to keep up with the exploding population during the infamous baby boomer era. Housing costs should attract a range of buyers rather than segregating the middle and lower class citizens. Growth is not a bad thing when thinking globally but it should be done so in a way that it will benefit our lives rather than negatively impacting them. Variation in land use is important to the sustainable city. Land use should not be limited to ash fault, concrete and sidewalks. A sustainable city should include open spaces, farmland, parks as well as esthetically and important environmental areas. These spaces are crucial to developing a city incorporating the natural beauty of the area which in turn encourages citizens to enjoy the space they are a part of more thoroughly. Here is a link to a prime example of a walkable neighbourhood. LINK

Existing cities can be upgraded to become sustainable but as I’ve stated before, a lot of communal work, effort, time and money is required. The way I see it, what choice do we have? The standard cookie cutter suburban municipality is not going to work once we run out of cheap fuel. Alternative efforts for societal living and development are going to be the only option. Communities will be forced to spend more face time interacting with each other. I think the social gains are one of the more interesting outcomes of a city becoming sustainable. The removal of such norms as the underpaid zombie checking you out at Thrifty’s will benefit everybody, who wants that job anyways… We will be forced to become familiar with “Bob” the produce stand guy in the village or trading veggies with your mates. A movement back to the way cities once functioned will bring more than social benefits. The whole buy local mentality will be the only alternative thus increasing economic gains as well. I live in the Cook St. village downtown Victoria. We have everything here within a 2 block radius. I love it. From multiple grocers, food stands, world class pizza, multiple coffee shops, Beacon Hill Park, the beauty of Dallas Rd and the coast. Personally speaking, I don’t want to ever leave this community. Its walkability is in the 90’s and that is an underestimate because anything downtown Vic is a maximum of a ten minute walk away. More villages and cities should take notice of this community because they could definitely learn something from it. Lastly, the multitudes of environmental stewardship will provide us with clean energy, fresh air and the notion that our great grand kids will still be able to play outside in the heat of the summer enjoying what we have here today. Again, becoming sustainable doesn’t need to happen overnight; small gradual changes will one day become the achievement we desire. However, there is a part of me that is deeply concerned with the reality that it is indeed too late for gradual change. If that is the case, I don’t know what to think suggest or say. Honestly speaking, I spend a lot of time thinking we’re f***ed! However, below is a video that generates some hope. Check it out!

Powering the Sustainable Society

Dare I even say that the amount of fossil fuels we harvest, refine, ship then combust to generate electricity is ridiculous? The global consumption of hydro electricity is so low it barely made the Global energy consumption chart according to The Christian Science Monitor, 2010. This is reality when in fact hydro energy has been utilized for centuries, even though it may have been on simpler terms.

 When planning a sustainable society, one must account for how the community will be provided with the energy it needs to meet the demands of the individuals that reside there. There are various options that can be explored to meet such demands but the chosen methods must be based a variety of factors which will depict what kind of energy generation will suffice. For starters community planners must asses the potential sources of energy in the area. This includes the potential for hydroelectric possibilities, wind/tidal generation or solar arrays in sunny climates. Acknowledging what the main sources of energy consumption will be is also essential to creating a sustainable energy plan. If the community will include large amounts of industry, energy measures must be taken to ensure there is enough power to supply their increased demands. Manufacturing a sustainable energy plan for this kind of community will require very different demands than a community that only holds 2,000 residential single family dwellings. The next measurable deciding factor will include the distribution and generation requirements for the community. For example, if the community is very densely built, the distribution grid will be substantially smaller then that of rural areas where large scale distances can occur between dwellings and infrastructure. In addition, if the demands require extensive energy production and sustainable energy generation techniques are limited by the geography and conditions of the area (little or no hydro/large scale solar/wind/tidal possibilities). Alternative generation methods may have to be utilized or combined with various tactics to supply the demand. For example, technology exits to use biomass as a generating option. These facilities are capable of releasing limited emissions when the appropriate technology is installed. Societies that have access to an ongoing biomass source could utilize this option for generating sustainable energy. In many situations this biomass would have ended up as waste but instead technology exists to use as fuel and it could potentially provide energy for a sustainable society.

 When powering a sustainable society, it is important that the buildings, structures, dwellings, commercial shops and household appliances/amenities are efficient and used responsibly. There is no point trying to sustainably produce energy if every office building leaves the lights/computer monitors on during non working hours and shops refuse to turn off their outdoor sign during day light hours etc. What I am trying to explain here is that powering sustainable communities is more than just the sustainable generation of energy; it also incorporates how we use that energy as well.

 Installing buildings that meet LEED standards, installing green roofs, capturing the heat emitted from various industrial practices and utilizing it in a closed loop system to maintain comfortable building temperatures, small and large scale solar/wind/tidal/hydro/biogas/biomass and the use of geothermal heating/cooling systems are some of the various methods that can be used to both generate and save energy. Every community, in every geographic region has various options for producing clean sustainable energy. Powering a sustainable society is obtainable but as said previously, it will take commitment, effort and time by society as a whole to achieve such a goal.

Below is a link to a great video of the sustainable energy efforts that are currently taking place in Barcelona.
VIDEO LINK


Here is a link to a site which has lots of interesting information about current and upcoming sustainable projects including community development and the future of large scale energy generation. LINK

 

Sustainability and Communities

It is my opinion that for sustainability to work and become an integral part of how we function as a society, it must start in the communities we call home. Using grassroots movements to create change throughout the community one step at a time.  These movements will create the necessary changes allowing community’s time to adapt to the social, environmental and political impacts of becoming sustainable. The problem is there are so many factors that determine every decision amongst various communities which make it difficult to manifest change. Communities must be educated on a multitude of subjects (recycling, 100 mile diet, waste diversion, growing local, green transportation, minimizing pollution, etc.) and this takes time. Many individuals will feel inconvenienced by the added pressures associated with making the changes involved in becoming more sustainable. Not to mention the costs of doing so. This makes it difficult in many communities to implement such change. However, there are multitudes of options that can be undertaken to develop sustainable initiative programs that are cost effective and do not require the bulldozing and re-planning of the entire city.

            Before a community or municipality can undertake the task of becoming sustainable, a template must be created outlining the limitations, priorities and intentions of the situation. Once achieved, progress may begin. This step is essential and crucial in the developmental direction of the program. Becoming sustainable doesn’t necessarily mean that overnight the community’s dependence on the outside world must be completely cut off. Although I dream of a society where that is the case, it is hard to imagine that kind of situation throughout most of Canada. I feel that one of the most difficult challenges we face becoming sustainable is the short duration of our growing season, especially out east where I hail from (Go Leafs Go).

            Becoming a sustainable community is possible; however it requires the participation of every citizen belonging to that society. A complete overhaul of the thinking and planning processes must be conducted from the ground up. As mentioned in class, communities must begin to think proactively rather than reactively while simultaneously planning to flourish rather than just getting by. Most importantly communities must adapt to the changes of becoming sustainable. This is significant because for communities to become sustainable they must also meet the basic human needs required for survival. Changes in their areas must not hinder any aspects of physical, mental and social well-being. When a community becomes sustainable, it increases the amount of interaction between its citizens. The increase in interaction strengthens the communal participation while bringing the individuals closer to environment. 

Communities must function in a matter where the reliance on fossil fuel combusting engines is forgotten. A sustainable community must make use of what their surroundings have to offer. If they are in an area that receives a lot of rain, then make use of that free resource. Use it to flush toilets, use it to water your lawn and garden. A sustainable community should provide an environment where people can work, live and play. The walk-ability of these communities should be at the forefront of importance while designing and planning. There are magnitudes of options that communities can take to lessen their dependence on energy. From simple measures such as the use of efficient light bulbs, small scale solar/wind energy generation, geothermal energy and simply “flicking it off” are all affordable, obtainable options. These methods in combination with other green projects such as community gardens and social programs such as ride shares and “green” education are all essential to developing a sustainable environment. Thinking and acting sustainable can be achievable, it just takes commitment.

            As noted above, sustainability starts in each individual community. When multiple communities become sustainable throughout a region, the city or the greater area that these communities belong to can only then become sustainable as well. Therefore, the only way for our nation, province, region and city to become sustainable is for our communities to make the necessary changes first. Otherwise, overall sustainability throughout our notable regions and nation will struggle to meet all the needs of both society and the environment resulting in an unwanted situation for both respectively.

Over Population and Over Consumption

The continuing over population of our planet and the over consumption of our available resources has created a problematic paradox for our species. Each day as more babies are born, the increasing number of mouths to feed adds to the already stifling pressures on the resources of our planet. More agricultural land is needed to satisfy the nutritional needs of each additional bundle of joy. Our populations have grown to the extent that our planet cannot produce food fast enough to feed the nearly 7 billion hungry stomachs each day. To control consumption levels, we must first control global population levels.  However, educating developing countries on the dangers of over populating our planet might be as difficult as solving the over population/consumption problems in itself. 

Our consumption habits have created a situation where all fossil fuels will become extensively scarce and expensive within the next few decades. This is truly alarming considering we only first starting depleting these stocks just over a century ago. Some oil production experts believe that we have already surpassed peak oil production and from here on out less and less oil will be drawn from the earth, refined and pumped through our massive 6, 8, 10 or 12 cylinder engines. That means that oil will no longer be considered cheap energy in just a few years as the supply decreases and the demand increases. This leaves humanity in an awkward situation with a bad taste in our mouths. Yet, much of the world pays no attention to this and continues to make purchases of items they do not need and probably won’t use six months down the road.

Our greedy consumption practices are causing decreases in every aspect of humanity and our resources. Life expectancy rates are predicted to decline, food supplies will begin to dwindle, natural resources are quickly deteriorating, pollution levels continue to increase and industrial production is expected to peak in the near future (Meadows, 1992). That is a hard pill to swallow yet it comes as no surprise. Mankind has been aware of the overall depletion of resources for sometime and nothing has been done to control the rates in which we consume. Industry is well aware of the consequences of hacking down the Amazon yet no one is stopping them from destroying one of the oldest, most biodiverse areas on the planet. I wonder what it will actually take for the entire world to wake up and realize the impact that our over consumption of resources is taking on our environment.

As we continue to develop land, our dependence on energy increases, this dependence causes land use dedicated to energy generation to develop as well and both of these situations create a loss of land and a further depletion of resources. As Westerners we continue to build massive concrete shopping centers, partake in monoculture farming practices, pollute our oceans and build houses on wet lands. These development tactics and consumption of resources have significantly affected such things as the biodiversity of our planet as well as decreased the bioproductivity of both land and sea. Its not complex hypothetical stuff we’re dealing with here. A master’s degree is not needed to realize that you can only rape and pillage the land for so long before something bad happens. First Nation’s civilizations understood this ideology thousands of years ago and they never spent a day in a classroom in their lives. So why can’t we, the citizens of supposedly educated developed nations put enough brain cells together to realize that over consumption and over population is NOT sustainable. We cannot continue on this path without devastation to our planet and a potential downfall of humanity. Change is not an option. Here is a link to a fun to watch music video about our over consumption. Link

Sustainability at RRU

University and campus sustainability should be on the forefront of every campuses future development plans. A substantial population of every developed nation has citizens attending post secondary institutions. If the individuals attending classes at these institutions are the supposed leaders of tomorrow, then why are the buildings that we spend so much of our time around adding to the destruction of that very same future of tomorrow we are working for? The irony in that statement is stifling and I feel that if anything, all campuses across the globe should be the environmental trend setters for their respective communities. Citizens tend to respect these places of learning which is why I feel their environmental platforms should be something actually worth respecting. These institutions are training scientists, engineers, architects, future C.E.O.’s etc. Why is it then so hard to fathom that each of these learning centers can function on a carbon neutral system rather than adding to the environmental crisis. The waste generated from these facilities and the CO2 released on a daily basis from the student and faculty bodies commuting to and from campus desperately needs to be reduced. How we go about every decision and action while at these facilities needs to be rethought. 

 From listening to Nancy Wilkins presentation I’d like to believe at this time Royal Roads University is on the right track for becoming more sustainable. I think it is important that a school which holds an environmental science program worth studying should provide an institution whose policies, ideologies and practices reflect what they preach.  Otherwise, how would industry leaders look at graduates if the very University that gave them their degree had no green initiatives what so ever. But as I’ve said before, I am just one man, this is just my opinion.

Here is a link to an article talking about the new sustainable skyscraper in Calgary. Its full of spaces that people will want to actually spend time in and it holds a nice 360 view of the city.Link

A few of the topics that caught my attention from the RRU sustainability presentations were chemical free cleaning throughout the campus, the waste diversion program, the reduction of energy consumption on campus and the possibility of implementing on site small scale waster water, composting and co generation facilities. These are all exciting topics and I believe they are all attainable for the areas that aren’t already. RRU’s goal to be completely off the grid by 2018 makes me proud, honestly. One day in the future, I’ll look back at the grueling 12 months of dedication I put into obtaining my degree, and feel proud of the fact that the campus whose grounds I spent so much time at has become an environmental leading institution. However, with that said, there is still so much more that needs to be done to achieve such stewardship. I was surprised to learn that nothing was mentioned in regards to collecting rainwater to be utilized for flushing toilets and urinals. Again, it’s almost ironic, we live in a city where it rains way more than anybody likes, yet there was no talk of implementing a system to capture any of this rain and make use of its seemingly never ending supply. In my opinion it makes the most sense. Why are we using clean drinking water to send our bodily wastes out into the ocean? Currently we aren’t even treating our shit sewage, so why on earth are we using pristine drinking water to move it through a bunch of pipes? To me it makes no sense and clearly far from sustainable but yet again, I am just one man and this is just my opinion. Here is a link to a company who designs these capturing systems; they make it sound black and white. Take a look. Link